Knowing how to restart your iPhone is important. If you’re anything like me, then the chances are that you prefer to keep your iPhone on constantly – only letting it turn off when you forget to charge it. But there are times when your iPhone needs a full restart.
There are many reasons to want to restart your iPhone. Perhaps you’ve noticed that when you play all the best iPhone games your phone lags, or the best mobile games keep freezing. A restart might help improve battery performance, and help your iPhone acclimatize to a new operating system.
The process differs depending on the model. You might assume it’s simply a case of pressing a button and your iPhone will shut down and restart, but that’s not quite true. Here’s everything that you need to know about restarting your iPhone.
How to restart an iPhone
Every so often your iPhone may need a restart. Here’s how to restart your iPhone:
How to restart any iPhone model
While using a physical button to power down your iPhone was previously the only option, since iOS 11, iPhone users have been able to power down their iPhones via Settings.
- To restart your iPhone via the Settings menu, go to Settings > General > Shut Down.
- Slide the button on the screen across and your device will turn off, ready to be restarted.
- You can restart your iPhone by pressing and holding down the lock button on the right side until you see the Apple logo appear.
How to restart an iPhone X or later
To restart an iPhone X or any later model with Face ID, these are the steps you need to take.
- Press and hold down the lock button along with either of the volume buttons, until the power-off slider appears on the screen.
- Drag the slider across and your device should then turn off.
- Restart your iPhone by pressing and holding down the lock button on the right side of your iPhone until you see the Apple logo appear.
How to restart an iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE
If you have an iPhone 6, 7, 8, or second or third-edition SE, restart your device slightly differently.
- Press and hold down the side button until you see the power-off slider appear.
- Use your finger to move the slider across the screen, to turn your iPhone off.
- To restart your iPhone, press and hold the side button down until the Apple logo appears on your screen.
How to restart an iPhone 6 or older
Older iPhone models need to be restarted with different steps, due to how they’ve been designed.
- Press and hold down the top button until you see the power-off slider appear.
- Drag the slider across the screen to turn off your device – this process should take around 30 seconds.
- To switch your iPhone back on, press and hold the top button down until the Apple logo appears on your screen.
How to force restart an iPhone
Like all the best phones, sometimes iPhones run into problems and, as a result, the screen freezes or the device refuses to turn on.
If this happens, the first thing to try is to force restart your iPhone.
How to force restart an iPhone with Face ID
To force restart an iPhone that has Face ID, here’s what to do:
- Press down and then quickly release the volume up button.
- Repeat the above step with the volume down button.
- Next, press and hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Once the Apple logo appears on the screen, you can let go of the side button.
How to force restart an iPhone 8 or SE
To force restart an iPhone 8 or SE second generation or later, here’s what you need to do:
- Press down and then quickly release the volume up button.
- Repeat the above step with the volume down button.
- Press and hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Once the Apple logo appears on the screen, you can then let go of the side button.
How to force restart an iPhone 7
To force restart an iPhone 7, here’s what you need to do:
- Press down and hold down the volume down button, at the same time as holding down the lock button.
- When the Apple logo appears on the screen, you can let go of both buttons, and the device should restart.
How to force restart an iPhone 6 or SE
If you need to force restart an iPhone 6 or first-generation iPhone SE, here are the steps to take:
- Press down the lock button and home button at the same time.
- Once the Apple logo appears on the screen, you can release these buttons and your iPhone should restart.
You should now be able to restart your iPhone. If, for any reason, the steps above have not worked, the next step is to contact Apple Support.
Thinking of upgrading your iPhone to a newer model? Take a peek at our guide to the best iPhone for gaming, to ensure that you pick a model that allows you to play all your favorite games. Or, unsure whether an iPhone or Samsung model is best to game on? Take a look at our iPhone vs Samsung head-to-head guide to find out.